The purpose of this blog is to provide families with precise, up-to-date
information on all of America World Adoption’s programs, helpful
resources and adoption stories. We pray that you are encouraged
by seeing God working in families through the Spirit of Adoption.

November 2009

November 30, 2009

Ferehiwot Zewdie has a degree in Educational planning and Management with 12 years experience in teaching and school administration. Frehiwot is developing a curriculum for the transitional home school, managing teachers and teaching older children. She says “This is an exciting and challenging job as the children come from different backgrounds and are only here for 3 months on average. My hope is for them to gain some skills and basic educations that will help them transition into their new life in the US”.

Frehiwot will prepare progressive report cards for the school age children (3+ years). That will be given to adoptive families when they come to Ethiopia to pick up their children.

Surfers and tourists who travel to the beautiful, remote beach town of El Sunzal, El Salvador often pass by the large metal gate of the Remar orphanage. Unbeknownst to them, hidden behind barbed wire and a foreboding entrance is the evidence of a God who heals; children who laugh, run, play and care for one another. These children have been placed in the orphanage because of abuse or abandonment. Their stories are so disturbing that at times I could not translate them to our team members. They have suffered broken bones, attacks by family members and abuse that is grueling to recount, yet their smiles are beautiful, their laughter contagious, and their community is indescribable. These children live in a safe world, protected from the poverty and cruelty they have suffered. They are the children of the "Ciudad de Los Ninos" orphanage and each one of them has captured my heart. We were amazed by their countenance - they were kind, loving, affectionate and hard working. Each child diligently cleaned and did their chores daily. They never argued, fought or complained. They taught us how to worship and how to pray. We listened to toddlers' bedtime prayers (some praying for over 5 minutes) with grateful hearts and passionate prayers to the Lord they love to worship. It was absolutely precious.

One of the highlights of my trip was being called an "angel" and "answer to prayer." The orphanage director described how she often cries out to God when the kitchen is bare, the children need new shoes, and she can not afford to pay the electrical bill. Then God responds and sends "angels" to meet their needs. Our team arrived with $12,000 in cash, 8 suitcases filled with gifts, and arms ready to hold each child, listen to their stories, tickle, laugh and play. We felt honored to bring hope and encouragement from their brothers and sisters in America. We were privileged to purchase a stove, refrigerator and table for the newly built baby house (which will soon house 20 infants). We purchased more than 2,000 pounds of rice and beans, sugar, kitchen supplies, toiletries, baby food, oil, spices and toys.

One of my favorite stories was the time we spotted an orange truck in the market and began to barter for oranges. After a long, dramatic experience of negotiating (which involved driving away and being chased down by the orange truck driver), we purchased the ENTIRE truck load (7,620 oranges) for $300. The truck followed us into the orphanage, and the staff and children were practically dancing as the truck rolled in (they can rarely afford to buy fruit for the kids). Another night we ordered pizza for 150. Most of the children had never eaten pizza. Needless to say, it was the best pizza party ever! We had tearful good byes, but sense that we will each return one day.

We also had unbelievable meetings with key government officials, including the Attorney General, who oversees adoption in El Salvador. God opened doors for us through unplanned circumstances and we were treated like dignitaries. We expressed our concerns over the plight of the orphans of their country, our personal adoption experiences, and at the request of the Attorney General herself, laid our hands on her back and prayed over her. I truly felt like Esther in the throne room of the King. We also met withthe attorney who is handling our adoption cases. We were encouraged and discouraged, amazed and exhausted, surprised and overwhelmed all at the same time. It was an unforgettable day of "divine appointments" and we know that God orchestrated all of this for our future children, other waiting adoptive families and all those who defend the cause of the orphan.

I can not begin to express the gratitude I feel for your love, support and partnership on this trip. As I mentioned time and time again at the orphanage, the true "angels" were YOU, my supporters in the United States who gave so generously. On behalf of Carolina, Juan, Beatriz, Wilson, Antonio, Ana, and the precious children of the Ciudad de Los Ninos orphanage, I want to say thank you. We are already considering what the Lord has in store for future trips. We know this story is to be continued...

You can visit and help this same orphanage by joining the next Visiting Orphans trip to El Salvador from March 6th to March 13th, 2010. You can sign up and learn more on their website at www.visitingorphans.org.

November 25, 2009

If you live in or near the following cities, we would like to invite you to join us at our final weekend of “Spirit of Adoption” seminars in 2009. Bring your family and friends to learn more about the process of international adoption, hear from America World families who have adopted or are in the process, and hear what God’s word says about adoption and the orphan.

We are so humbled and amazed to report that “Will,” the 13 year old boy who was listed as our November Monthly Prayer Focus for the China Waiting Children Department has a forever family! A family has committed to pursuing his adoption. We want to thank all of you who prayed for Will and his future family as we are rejoicing that God answered those prayers!

Throughout the years of AWAA families adopting and bringing home waiting children, we have seen firsthand that the CCAA and orphanage staff continue to be amazed and impressed by our families who are adopting children of all ages and special needs and loving them unconditionally as they become a part of their forever families. We give God all the glory as He leads families to AWAA and to the (Waiting Children) WC program.

We are also thankful for all those families who have been faithfully waiting for their healthy referral through the China program. We know the wait is not easy and wish we could do more to help you get matched with your referral more quickly! Please know you are in our prayers and we will continue to do what we can to inform you of referral wait time updates and as an agency will advocate for the orphans of China through our Orphans Ticket Home campaign.

On behalf of the China Program staff, we are privileged to be able to work alongside each of you and accompany you on your adoption journey. We wish you many Thanksgiving blessings this season as you celebrate with family and friends.

November 24, 2009

At the time of this posting, referrals have not been received by agencies for the month of November.

We announced in October that we received 12 healthy referrals for families who were logged in at the CCAA on 3/27/2006 and 3/28/2006. Our next two group of families who are anticipating referrals have an LID of 4/3/2006 and 4/6/2006. Because the CCAA has been averaging approximately 2-3 LID’s a month more recently, it is possible that the CCAA may not match enough dates in the next referral matching to reach our next group of families logged in on 4/3/2006. Please note that the CCAA does not provide information to agencies on which dates are being matched for referral or when referrals will arrive. Most often, the CCAA posts this information to agencies after the referrals have been received by agencies. Though referrals may often arrive around the same time each month, this is not always the trend, so families should expect to receive a referral at any time, even outside of the general timeframes seen each month. Please continue to watch our blog for any updates of when referrals are received or when the matching dates are given by the CCAA.

The CCAA continues to process an average of 2-6 dates each month. Matching is based upon how many paper-ready referrals that the CCAA has available, that are ready to be matched with families from around the world who are logged in on specific dates that the CCAA has chosen to match for that month.

What are AWAA’s next LID groups to be matched?

• April 3, 2006• April 6, 2006• April 14, 2006• April 24, 2006• April 29, 2006

Please note that while the above dates represent the LID’s for AWAA families, there are other families from other agencies around the world who are logged in on other dates throughout the end of March and the month of April. The CCAA issues LID’s to agencies throughout the entire month as agencies send their dossiers each week to the CCAA. Dossiers are sent to the CCAA at different times each week from each adoption agency.

Dossiers Reviewed & Overview

Dossiers reviewed- through February 28, 2008

The CCAA has recently finished the review of dossiers and paperwork registered with their office up through February 28, 2008. We have noticed that the CCAA appears to be reviewing more months of dossiers in a shorter amount of time. The timeframe for the dossier review process will vary as it is based upon the number of dossiers that are logged in during the particular month that is currently under review.

**Families should note that the CCAA will generally contact an agency when there is an issue with a family’s dossier, when it is being reviewed during the dossier review stage. Although a family may not be questioned during the review stage, a family could still be questioned at the referral matching stage, though it is less frequent.

Because the CCAA has completed the February 2008 dossier review, it is likely that the CCAA is currently reviewing dossiers for March 2008 and beyond, though the CCAA does not report to agencies which month(s) they are currently reviewing.

Current Wait Time

Wait Time- 43-44 months from LID

The current wait from LID to referral is 43-44 months at all agencies and increasing. This represents the wait time for families who just received a referral in October (waited 43 months) and who could potentially receive a referral this month. The wait time is calculated from the Log in Date when a dossier is sent to China, to the date that the referral is received. For families with LID dates after March 28, 2006, the wait time trend continues to increase half a month to a full month each month.

Chinese Heritage: the current estimated wait time for families who are expedited due to Chinese heritage is estimated to be 28-34 months from LID.

No one can accurately predict how long the China wait time will become or when it may start to decrease due to a large number of unknown factors, such as the following:

• the number of infants/children that will be available for adoption and paper ready within the upcoming year• the number of domestic adoptions that will occur within China this year• the number of families from around the world who have login dates between the last referral LID and today• the number of families who will withdraw from the China adoption process due to the increased wait time• the number of families who will adopt through the Waiting Children program and will no longer have their dossier waiting in the non-special needs line• the number of families who will switch programs during their process and no longer adopt from China

Families are encouraged to calculate their wait time as a projected estimation, knowing there is no way to predict the actual wait time for each family. The wait time changes as it is based on the number of LID’s from around the world and the number of referrals that are paper-ready each month. America World will continue to report monthly wait time trends. Families should continue to anticipate a long wait for a healthy referral.

Families should note the following information from the US Department of State regarding Hepatitis A vaccinations, Hepatitis B screening, and Hepatitis B vaccinations:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC – www.cdc.gov ) now recommends Hepatitis A immunization for household members (including babysitters or anyone who anticipates close personal contact) who will be returning to the US with a child who has been adopted from a country where hepatitis A is prevalent. Screening for Hepatitis B is also recommended for children who were born in geographic regions where Hepatitis B is common.

Under current law, children adopted from Hague countries, are required to present documentation of having received certain required vaccinations and screenings, including Hepatitis B. Families can find more information about these regulations from the CDC at the following sites:

We are excited to announce that America World will be opening a second transitional home for the children in our Ethiopia Program! In hopes to better serve our children, this transitional home will be fully equipped to house additional children with more resources and space during their transitional time with America World. The home is located just around the corner from the current transitional home and is expected to be open and house children beginning December 1st! Please keep an eye out over the next few weeks as we post news and photos regarding the additional transition home.

November 20, 2009

It is another Friday and the end of a busy week here in Virginia. We were excited to welcome a new Family Coordinator to our China Program, Aimee Meier who moved here to North Virginia from North Dakota. You’ll get a more formal introduction to her from our China staff. She and another newer staff member, Teresa Spencer have been receiving training this week. It has taken us awhile to find the right replacement for this position but as always God has provided in His timing.

In the Eastern Europe programs we have had some good news as well. One family is preparing to travel to Russia on their first trip right after Thanksgiving. Please keep them in your prayers. Another family heard that they have received a date for their dossier to be submitted to the SDA in Ukraine. And in our Kazakhstan program another dossier was sent to our translator and will then be submitted to the Consulate in DC for approval. There are a number of other families working on updating their dossiers at this time and we would ask you to remember them in prayer as they wait on USCIS approvals and update documents.

Our Africa programs in Ethiopia and Rwanda have both seen referrals in recent weeks and we thank God for his continued provision and we rejoice with the families who have received their referrals. The time between referral and traveling is such a hard wait time and we continue to lift these families up to the Lord in our daily staff prayer time. We do meet daily at 9 am EST for prayer so please let your Family Coordinator know if you have a specific request. We also enjoy hearing how God has answered and it is a highlight in our days to get an email that shares how God has answered a prayer request we prayed about.

Jenni, an America World prospective adoptive parent, has been leading a Visiting Orphan team who is in El Salvador this week and this is part of an email she sent.

“Our experience at the orphanage was indescribable. The children were crying as we left today, and MANY asked if we would take them home. They were so loving, warm, well behaved, polite, grateful, affectionate and full of life. We found out that all of these children have been abused, and their stories were heart wrenching. At the same time, they are in a loving, safe and warm community. We bought almost $2,000 worth of food at the market in San Salvador (rice, beans, sugar, etc). We went to the grocery store and filled up 5 grocery carts - baby food, toilet paper, shampoo, drinks, balls, and on and on. We also stopped a truck in the street that was selling oranges. We ended up buying the truck load of oranges - and they followed us to the orphanage. We bought 7,600 oranges for them - it was SO FUN. It only cost $300!” They also left a substantial donation for the orphanage.

This team of three prospective adoptive families also had a planned meeting with the Procurador today.

Our Executive/Senior staff spent a day this week in retreat and focused on planning and budgeting for 2010. It was a fruitful time and opportunity to reflect on 2009 and look ahead to 2010.

Recently, I was reading about the Feast of Tabernacles in Deuteronomy 16:13-16 and want to wish everyone a joyous Thanksgiving holiday.